ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul junior running back Jaylin Richardson had a monster day in the season opener for the Golden Bears, rushing 16 times for 108 yards and hauling in a pair of catches for 34 yards, accounting for three total touchdowns as Concordia-St. Paul defeated Upper Iowa 43-20 in a non-conference game at Sea Foam Stadium.

It was Concordia's first non-conference game since the 2011 season opener, also scoring 43 points in a 43-31 win over Minot State on the road 12 years ago.

Head coach Shannon Currier improves to 10-1 in home openers as Concordia's 43-point performance was the most for CSP in a game since Currier's third game back with the program in 2016, a 52-49 loss to Minnesota Duluth at Sea Foam Stadium. Further, the Golden Bears are 10-3 when scoring 30-plus points at Sea Foam Stadium (2009-present).

The Golden Bears are now 6-1 against Upper Iowa at Sea Foam Stadium, 8-1 against UIU at home (including Griffin Stadium) and 12-4 in the all-time series including four-straight victories from 2018-present.

The Golden Bears had a pair of 100-yard rushers as sophomore Daniel Hornacek had 10 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. It's the first time that Concordia has produced a pair of 100-yard rushers in a single game since week eight of 2018 when quarterback Dom McKinzy (15-131-1) and Lajuan Preston (13-106) achieved the feat at home against Minnesota Crookston.

Richardson and Hornacek were the catalysts of a team rushing effort that saw CSP roll up 281 yards on 36 carries with four touchdowns. It's the most rushing yards in a game for the program since a week two win in 2019 at Upper Iowa when CSP rushed 48 times for 300 yards and four scores.

Sophomore wide receiver Troy Ellison had a big all-around day, too, with 10 catches for 85 yards, two carries for 21 yards and a 58-yard punt return for 164 all-purpose yards on 13 touches.

Junior quarterback Conner Cordts was efficient running the offense, completing 21-30 for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns, adding 5-42 on the ground with another touchdown. He was well-protected, not sacked by the Peacocks as the offensive line also blocked for a run game that averaged 7.8 per carry.

Cordts targeted nine different options in the pass game, connecting with eight of them. He found junior wide receiver Rene Zaldivar for a 6-yard score midway through the first quarter to start the game's scoring as CSP scored the first two touchdowns for a 13-0 lead at the quarter break and never relinquished the lead throughout. Zaldivar finished with three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.

The Golden Bears had 472 yards of total offense while holding Upper Iowa to 291, also winning the turnover battle 2-0. The first turnover of the night was on UIU's first offensive play, a run up the middle for 11 yards by Jayden Mitchell, but junior safety Cyrus McClure had the hit that forced the ball loose, recovered by Anthony Ukofia to set the offense up with the ball on the UIU 31 yard line with Cordts hitting Zaldivar in the end zone four plays later on 3rd-and-4 from the UIU 6-yard line.

Mitchell led the UIU ground game with eight carries for 45 yards, averaging 5.6 per carry as the Peacocks rushed for 73 yards on 26 attempts as a team (2.8). He also threw a 2-yard touchdown pass after a handoff in a goal line situation.

Ukofia and McClure also teamed up for CSP's second turnover of the night, a key situation as UIU was attempting to cut a 16-point (2-score) lead to a 1-score game with two and a half minutes left. On 3rd-and-15 from the CSP 34-yard line, Darryl Overstreet Jr. had his pass near the first down line tipped by McClure, deflected into the arms of a diving Ukofia at the 15-yard line.

Three running plays to Hornacek later, the Golden Bears were in the end zone as Hornacek had runs of 52, 0 and 33 yards to put the game away with 1:25 to go.

Overstreet Jr. finished completing 18-33 for 216 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and was sacked twice. He completed five passes to Mante Morrow for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In the second half, CSP held Overstreet Jr. to 9-22 passing for 92 yards.

Concordia's defense also held UIU to 1-12 on third down while the offense was a solid 6-12.

McClure had seven tackles to go with his forced fumble and pass breakup while Ukofia had a pair of tackles, the fumble recovery and interception on a solid night for the CSP safeties.

Sophomore linebackers Jawon Carr (8) and Richard Wauer (7) joined McClure as the team's top three tacklers on the night with junior defensive tackle Koffi Gbekle had five stops and a blocked PAT.

Joining Gbekle on the defensive front with strong statistical performances were redshirt freshman defensive end Kendis Ledbetter with four tackles, a sack and a hurry with redshirt freshman defensive end Blake Siebert teaming up with junior defensive end Ryan Martin for a half sack each.

Gbekle wasn't the only Golden Bear to block a kick, either, with Carter Otto blocking a Peacock punt as CSP also won the kicking game, with the Golden Bear punt block rushing the UIU punter to a 35.8 punting average including a net of 22.5 with Ellison's big return factored in compared to junior Parker Dahlman averaging 40.5 per punt, 31.2 net yards and a long of 48. He nearly pinned UIU at the 1-yard line, as well, with the ball bouncing just inside the end zone in the first quarter.

Two-time All-NSIC transfer kicker Payton Eue from Northern State also delivered three of his eight kickoffs for touchbacks and scored seven points on the night. He converted a 26-yard field goal late in the second quarter that pushed Concordia's lead to a three-score game, 23-6, which CSP would later build to as large as a 24-point lead (36-12) early in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, UIU missed their two PATs.

Concordia would also dominate the time of possession by a final 34:02 to 25:58 margin, opening the game with 11:12 of the 15-minute first quarter.